Still, given her popularity and the Democrats' commanding Senate majority, the New Haven, Conn., ruling "means very little in terms of her confirmation," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Republicans, whether fairly or unfairly, are forced by the political climate to do everything possible to avoid appearing to be against Hispanic progress," Brown said.

Sotomayor is the first female Latino Supreme Court nominee. She was one of three appeals court judges who upheld a decision by New Haven to ignore the results of a firefighter promotion exam because it wouldn't have meant the advancement of enough minorities.

With Senate Democrats possessing 59 votes and a number of Republicans likely to wind up voting in favor of Sotomayor, it would be a politically risky step to try to block her nomination unless more ammunition surfaces, Brown said.

Former GOP Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who was a Judiciary Committee member, agreed.

"Short of some other things that come to light, which we have no reason to think will come to light, is that enough to keep her off the bench? That is rather doubtful," DeWine said.